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Business Storytelling Made Easy | Kelly Parker | TEDxBalchStreet — Transcript

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0:01[applause]
0:01[cheering]
0:10Do you remember the first time you heard
0:12a really good story?
0:14One of my first times was when I read
0:16Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary.
0:20As a kid, I loved to curl up in my
0:22favorite chair in our living room and
0:24transport myself into the misadventures
0:27of Ramona Quimby.
0:29And now, I remember how my heart would
0:31race reading about her getting into
0:33trouble over and over for misbehaving.
0:37At the same time, as a shy suburban kid
0:40who often took myself a little bit too
0:41seriously,
0:43I really admired her fun-loving attitude
0:46and her carefree spirit.
0:48I've always loved stories because they
0:50allow me to experience other worlds I
0:52didn't know anything about,
0:55yet help me make sense of my own world
0:57at the same time.
1:00But, stories aren't just for books, or
1:03movies, or entertainment.
1:05They're one of the most powerful forces
1:07on the planet to connect,
1:09persuade, and influence our mindset,
1:12beliefs, and behavior.
1:14And that's why storytelling is one of
1:16the most powerful marketing and
1:18leadership tools there is.
1:22In a world cluttered with forgettable,
1:24lackluster messages, stories make us
1:27memorable.
1:29Research conducted by psychologist
1:31Jerome Bruner suggests that facts are 20
1:34times more likely to be remembered if
1:37they're part of a story.
1:40Not only that, stories create powerful
1:42connections between the storyteller and
1:45the story listener.
1:47Elena Rankin writes, Uri Hasson,
1:50professor of psychology and neuroscience
1:52at Princeton University,
1:54discovered that as you hear a story
1:56unfold, your brain waves actually start
2:00to synchronize with those of the
2:02storyteller.
2:04The greater the listeners comprehension,
2:06the more closely the brainwave patterns
2:09mirrored each other.
2:12Kind of brings a whole new meaning to
2:13the phrase get on the same wavelength,
2:16right?
2:18But here's the best part of all.
2:20Stories are proven to affect behavior.
2:24Let's take the healthcare context for
2:26example.
2:27Melanie Green, a communication professor
2:29at the University of Buffalo, says that
2:31people are more likely to make changes
2:33to their lifestyle and health habits
2:36if they see a character they relate to
2:38making the same change.
2:41And so,
2:42if you've ever wanted to get anyone to
2:44do anything,
2:46you would do well to learn how to tell
2:48better stories.
2:51Yet too often we're telling the wrong
2:53stories, or we're not telling them at
2:55all, and in effect, we're wasting our
2:57time and our precious dollars on
2:59programs, campaigns, and initiatives
3:01that sorely miss the mark.
3:04Well, I've been studying stories since I
3:05was a kid, and I've been bringing them
3:07to life for more than a decade as a
3:09professional corporate marketer.
3:11And today I want to show you the easy
3:12way to create your own stories that
3:14connect, persuade, influence, and break
3:18through all the clutter.
3:20So, let's start at the beginning.
3:22Number one, the problem and the pursuit.
3:26The problem and the pursuit.
3:29You know, I believe the worst story of
3:31all is the one that is told too soon.
3:35And truly, this is a very common mistake
3:38that aspiring storytellers make.
3:40We launch into a story and don't know
3:42the first thing about who we're talking
3:44to.
3:46Before you're qualified to tell
3:47anything, you must deeply understand
3:49your audience's problem
3:51and pursuit.
3:53Their problem is where they are right
3:55now.
3:56It's the issues that they're facing in
3:58their current state and how they feel
4:00about it.
4:02Their pursuit is where they want to be.
4:04It's who they want to be and it's how
4:06they will feel in this future perfect
4:08world.
4:10Business development expert and LinkedIn
4:12top sales influencer Liz J. Simpson
4:15knows a little something about
4:16understanding her audience's problem and
4:19pursuit.
4:21To create messages for her email
4:23marketing, her website, and her social
4:25media content, she listens to her
4:27clients
4:29and then begins to extract specific
4:31elements from what they've said and then
4:33infuses it into her language and her
4:35visuals.
4:36The effect
4:38is a resounding, "Girl,
4:41how did you do that?"
4:44Because every time I see something from
4:45you, it feels like you're talking
4:47directly to me.
4:49Now, how did she do it?
4:52Simply because she's taken time to
4:53understand her audience's problem and
4:56pursuit. Now, how did she get that
4:58understanding?
5:00Well, it's because she's living out a
5:02very powerful storytelling principle,
5:04which is this.
5:07Good story listening
5:09always comes before good story telling.
5:15And so, number one, if you want to tell
5:16a good story, you have to understand
5:18your audience's problem and pursuit.
5:19Number two, you have to be able to paint
5:21them a picture.
5:24You have to be able to co-create a
5:25reality that shows you understand the
5:27problem, yet hints at a better future.
5:31To do this, you'll need a specific
5:33person,
5:35a specific challenge,
5:38specific imagery, and specific feelings.
5:43Did I mention you should be specific?
5:47Now, specific doesn't mean long and
5:49drawn out. It just means you want to
5:51include some distinguishable
5:52characteristics that your audience can
5:55relate to.
5:57It's the reason why Nike's ads with
5:58LeBron James don't include a bunch of
6:00close-up shots of shoes they're selling.
6:03They don't need to.
6:05They found the perfect person in LeBron
6:07James
6:09to represent a specific, relatable
6:11challenge, namely overcoming obstacles
6:13to beat an opponent.
6:16Then they utilize specific imagery to
6:18represent a specific progression of
6:20feelings like
6:22defeat and discouragement to hope and
6:26victory
6:28and resilience.
6:30And once you've been gripped by a story
6:32like that, doesn't it almost go without
6:34saying that you want to wear the same
6:35sports gear LeBron James does?
6:39To inspire action and shift beliefs,
6:42paint a vivid picture for your audience
6:44through words and imagery that they can
6:46instantly recall when they think of you.
6:49And so if you're going to tell a good
6:51story, you have to number one, know your
6:52audience's problem and pursuit.
6:55You must number two, paint them a
6:56picture
6:58that they can remember and repeat. And
7:01finally,
7:02number three, you must propose.
7:06You must propose.
7:09The year was 2004.
7:12I was a senior at Kent State University
7:13at the time and my boyfriend was holding
7:15a get-together at his home, which I of
7:17course attended.
7:19And suddenly, when I least expected it,
7:22there were roses,
7:24there was music, and right there in
7:26front of all my closest family and
7:27friends, he got down on one knee.
7:30He pulled out a ring, and in an instant,
7:33all my little girl marriage proposal
7:35fantasies came true.
7:39On the other hand, we have
7:41Curtis.
7:44Curtis,
7:46a couple years back, was at a local
7:47outdoor music event. And at the end of
7:50the event, he invited his girlfriend,
7:52Jackie, to come up on stage with him.
7:56And so, Jackie begins to wade through
7:58the crowd and find her way to the stage,
8:00and she climbs the steps to the stage,
8:02and she gets up there, and she's
8:03standing up there looking at Curtis.
8:06The only problem was,
8:08she's looking at him like this.
8:15Undeterred,
8:17Curtis begins to pour out his heart.
8:20And he says, "JACKIE, BABY,
8:24I love you, girl."
8:28He says, "JACKIE, BABY,
8:31YOU'VE BEEN LIKE AN angel in my life."
8:35HE SAID, "JACKIE, BABY,
8:37THE WRITING IS ALL OVER THE WALL. I want
8:40to spend the rest of my life with you."
8:44And he, too, gets down on one knee. And
8:47he, too, pulls out a ring. AND HE SAYS,
8:49"JACKIE,
8:51WILL YOU MARRY ME?"
8:54AND RIGHT THERE,
8:57in front of all those people,
8:59Jackie looked him dead in the eye, and
9:01she said, "I'm sorry, but
9:04no."
9:05And walked off the stage.
9:11This is the tension we stand in as
9:14marketers and leaders.
9:17Because we're constantly MAKING
9:19PROPOSALS. BUY MY PRODUCT. Try my
9:22service. COME TO MY EVENT. JOIN MY
9:24CAUSE.
9:27And as MUCH AS WE WANT TO HEAR that
9:28enthusiastic yes,
9:32we're also pretty afraid of the
9:33rejection of no. I mean, let's be real,
9:36especially a public rejection like
9:38Curtis's.
9:40Where despite your best efforts, your
9:41preparation, and your good intentions,
9:44it just fell
9:45flat.
9:49But, this is the power of story.
9:53Because stories make proposals extremely
9:56appealing and stack the odds in your
9:59favor.
10:01First, stories help you get the timing
10:03right.
10:05How many of you know nobody wants you to
10:07propose marriage on the first date?
10:12But, too often, we expect our audiences
10:15to commit too soon.
10:18Well-placed stories slow down the
10:20process just enough for you to build
10:22credibility and trust.
10:26It's the principle that New York Times
10:27best-selling author Gary Vaynerchuk
10:29talks about in his book Jab, Jab, Jab,
10:31Right Hook, How to Tell Your Story in a
10:33Noisy Social World.
10:36The idea is to give before you ask, and
10:39to give much more than you ask.
10:43Good stories position us to be givers
10:46before we expect to receive.
10:50Not only that, stories make proposals
10:52irresistible because they allow us to
10:55build connection.
10:57Stories masterfully infuse a human
11:00element into our businesses, our brands,
11:02and our programs that draws people in.
11:06So much so that by the time you do go in
11:08for the ask, like any good proposal, it
11:10simply feels like the next logical step.
11:15You see, stories are more than stories.
11:18They are the connective tissue that
11:19links you to the solution in people's
11:21minds. So that by the time you do
11:23present your solution or propose your
11:24offer, they say,
11:26"It's about time.
11:28I've been waiting for this."
11:32And once you've told your story,
11:34with all the confidence in the world,
11:35ask.
11:37Invite. Propose. Shout it from the
11:39rooftops.
11:41Because by that time, if you found the
11:43right people,
11:45the next step you're suggesting is
11:47something they'll want just as much as
11:50you do.
11:52And so,
11:54tell more stories.
11:57In fact, tell your stories.
12:01It might be the details surrounding your
12:03greatest losses, your greatest wins, or
12:05the context in which you've learned your
12:07greatest life lessons.
12:10They will paint the pictures.
12:13They will let people know
12:14you understand my problem.
12:17And you understand my pursuit.
12:19Absolutely, I would love to accept your
12:22proposal.
12:23And who knows? Maybe your stories will
12:25serve a bigger purpose.
12:28Maybe they'll help someone find
12:29connection, community,
12:31and a little bit of fun, just like so
12:33many years ago Beverly Cleary's stories
12:36did for me.
12:37Thank you.
12:38Woo! [applause]

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